Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) is indigenous to the Arctic and Alpine regions of Europe, Asia and America and has long been used as a tonic by many cultures, including the Ancient Greeks. Rhodiola is generally known as an “adaptogen”, a term which refers to any agent possessing the ability to increase the body's capacity to adapt to stressful conditions.* This standardized extract of min. 3% Total Rosavins and min. 1% Salidrosides is the highest potency of Rhodiola available.

Rhodiola: A Rosea By Any Other Name is Not as Sweet!

News from NOW's Quality Assurance Department

When NOW Foods set out to find an herbal product that offered a rich history of traditional use as well as modern scientific studies substantiating what our ancestors inherently knew, we looked into Rhodiola rosea. I was raised by European parents that taught us to go directly to the source, to the people who know the product from the ground up. This search brought me face to face with a man who I’ve come to trust as a man of integrity, Dr. Zakir Ramazanov. Zakir educated us on the science behind Rhodiola that separated fact from fiction. His book Stress and Weight Management Effective Herbal Therapy using Rhodiola rosea and Rhododendren caucasicum reveals the most credible information I’ve read regarding this legendary Siberian “Golden Root” as it’s sometimes called.

Rhodiola rosea root extract has been the subject of 21 human and 42 animal studies that tested its beneficial effects for mental performance, physical performance, antioxidant activity and cardio-protective performance, to name a few. After reading the various studies and becoming more familiar with this herb, it is quite evident that Rhodiola rosea is indeed the premier adaptogen. An adaptogen is a safe substance that enables the body to resist adverse stressors whether they are physical, chemical, or biological, while assisting recovery and maintaining homeostasis.

The information regarding pharmacological activity and chemical composition we attained through Dr. Zakirs’ research proved to be very valuable to our Quality Assurance department as we had analyzed samples from various vendors before qualifying a true Rhodiola rosea extract powder. Analytical testing performed at two independent 3rd party laboratories utilizing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) confirmed that our chosen vendor was indeed providing us with the authentic rosea species of Rhodiola and not one of the other 19 known species that have been marketed world wide with inferior chemical compositions completely void of the most active compounds known as Rosavins.

All known species of Rhodiola contain an active compound known as salidroside and in the past were tested and standardized to contain a minimum .6%of it. Research by Russian scientists seemed to indicate that the rosea specie produced dramatically superior results in various animal and human studies and they set out to investigate why. Years of intensive research and the development of a new HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatographs) analysis method enabled them to discover a group of compounds peculiar to only the rosea species called Rosavins. These Rosavins are actually comprised of rosavin, rosin and rosarin. The bottom line is that based on decades of Russian and European research the only Rhodiola product that has been clinically tested and proven safe for human health is the Rhodiola rosea root extract standardized to a minimum 3 percent Rosavins and a minimum 1 % salidrosides.

NOW Foods’ Rhodiola Extract is guaranteed to meet the criteria for authentic Rhodiola rosea root extract. Its standardized extract of min. 3% Total Rosavins and min. 1% Salidrosides is the highest potency of Rhodiola available.

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The majority of the product information has been reprinted from the manufacturer.